


overprotective

by stellafleur



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Humor, Isekai, Not Beta Read, Other, Silly, parenting, slight ooc?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24964213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellafleur/pseuds/stellafleur
Summary: a typical day of parenting for the crown prince's royal advisors and caretaker.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	overprotective

**Author's Note:**

> my friend said this was my biggest clownery yet, and i have to agree with her. clown music was probably playing in my head as i wrote this out of the blue, and i don't even know why i was able to finish this when i should be working on other stuff. enjoy, i guess? please don't take this seriously. leave your brain cells out the window as you proceed.

The Spring Kingdom became blessed the day its crown prince arrived into the world. Many said the sun rose high in the sky, the flowers bloomed magnificently, and money luck was suddenly abundant throughout the kingdom. What Izumi remembered that day was the servants running frantically in all directions, the royal family doctor nearly losing his mind, and Izumi, being rushed into the Queen and King's chambers to help the others, and having a sobbing baby shoved into her arms, despite having no experience in child-rearing whatsoever. Although the feelings of dread, anxiety, and crying never left her mind that day, it was a joyous occasion. Whatever it meant, something from the heavens smiled down upon the Spring Kingdom that day for the supposedly barren Queen.

Like all joyous occasions, however, everything came to an end when tragedy struck the Royal Family, as the Queen and King themselves died shortly thereafter from an unexpected tragedy, related to the wars overseas. As if the universe was trying to keep the balance, it also had to take something precious away, leaving the Crown Prince completely alone.

One thing led to another, and while the Crown Prince himself was the main ruler of the land, most of the nation's affairs was left to the hands of his royal advisors, who made sure none of the King's mistresses, or other political enemies made a strike to throne, while the Crown Prince was still a defenseless child.

In her own private moments, Izumi sometimes wondered how long she could protect Sakuya before luck started turning against their favor, how long before their enemies, seen and unseen, strike while they were completely down on their guard.

As if sensing her gloomy thoughts, the baby in Izumi's arms turned, and reached out to pat her cheeks. Sakuya was sunshine reincarnated in a small bundle, and she couldn't help but place a small peck on the crown of his head, before placing him in the smaller antechamber, beside the Great Room.

She had business to take care of, actually, concerning the prince's royal advisors.

The Great Room, as it was apt to be called, reminded Izumi of a very large parlor, with a large, circular wooden desk in the middle of the room, surrounded by a seating of twenty chairs. A plush red carpet covered the floors, and large glass windows opened to the rose garden below.

It was also the place where the Royal Advisors assumed meetings, on top of whatever merrymaking the gentlemen did in their spare time. As of the moment, they seemed to be going through piles of letters, envelopes, and sketches, tossing one after the other to the side, after some pointing and some head shakes. 

"This one will definitely be after the royal treasury… "

"This one might accidentally set one of the paladins on fire!"

"Palace." A voice corrected moments later.

Absorbed in their arguments, they didn't hear Izumi entering the room, nor closing the large wooden door behind her. She couldn't hide the confusion on her face, after hearing reports from the other servants about them refusing meals and tea for the past three hours now. It wasn't exactly a cause for concern, but they refused to acknowledge her summons either.

"And this one will definitely murder him in his sleep, and bring wars on our doorstep."

Izumi had to interrupt. She finally stepped forward in their line of sight. "Pray, tell, Sir Chikage, how did you affirm that exactly?"

"She's the daughter of Count-" He paused, after realizing it was neither of his companions on the table who inquired the question.

Three heads whipped in her direction, in various states of surprise and amusement. Tilting her head, she bowed and curtsied in greeting.

"Milady!" Lord Citron brightened. "Good morning!"

The Royal Advisors were a sight to behold sometimes, and Izumi tried not to take a step back under their gazes. 

There was Sir Chikage, whom she first addressed. Known as the kingdom's military commander, he also oversaw all security related-measures regarding the Crown Prince. As per usual, he was garbed in his green uniform, the clean cut outlining his strong features. A pair of circular glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, but it didn't quite hide the dangerous glint in his eyes sometimes. Of the three, he was the most enigmatic and intimidating.

Sitting next to him was Lord Citron. Charming and funny, he was the foreign affairs and diplomatic minister, on top of the Crown Prince's godfather, as he so often pointed out to her. He also happened to be Zahran Royalty, from the Kingdom southwest of here, which explained his unusual sayings and language errors sometimes, as he only moved into the Spring Kingdom permanently a few years ago. Nevertheless, he remained popular among the royal balls for his entertaining stories, and jokes. He also happened to be her favorite among them, being that he was easier to get along with than the other two.

Across from them, absently sipping from his cup of coffee sat Lord Itaru, also known as the minister of education and the Crown Prince's personal tutor in all educational matters. Blond locks paired with a very pretty face, along with his sharp mind made him popular among the nobility circles, but it didn't erase the fact that he was quite the slob in the privacy of his own quarters, or the fact that his manners belied his perfect looks sometimes. Likewise, he confused her the most of the time.

In a peculiar turn of events, the care of the Crown Prince, along with Izumi herself, fell into their hands, which is why they took their jobs concerning the Crown Prince's welfare with a seriousness that could only rival such as running the country. They all had their reasons for protecting the prince, and none of them were forthcoming about it, much like her, but it was the reason why they've formed a weird, unusual friendship, despite their differences in status. 

Therefore, she shouldn't be surprised the men were already arguing about the potential betrotheds of the crown prince. What bothered her was the urgency in this discussion that they had to miss her summons.

Taking one seat beside Lord Itaru, she eyed the mess of papers scattered around the table, with sketches and letters from royal families alike.

"Is there a particular reason why you gentlemen are very concerned with these matters this morning?" Izumi gestured at their mess.

In answer to that, the commander pushed a letter to her, bearing the insignia of the notorious Hinamori family, who were requesting an audience with the Crown Prince, and a chance to meet his daughters. Izumi briefly remembered about Royal Advisors being so adamant about securing no allegiance whatsoever with this man, which probably explained why they were already in the midst of planning a hasty engagement to someone they could control.

While she continued scanning the letter for any hidden meaning behind the Lord's invitation, another round of disagreements followed. Izumi quickly cut in, asking for everyone's personal candidate for the Crown Prince.

Sir Chikage was the first. "According to my sources, the Duke's daughter is trained in the art of sword-fighting, weaponry, and machinery. She will be a fitting bride for the crown prince, and an asset to the Kingdom-"

Citron interrupted. "Ah, but the crown prince's betrothed should have a way with her tongue."

Izumi narrowed her eyes, figured it was just one of Lord Citron's usual mistakes because he continued. "For example, the Viscount's child can recall all thirty two stories about her family, which means she's very-"

Then Lord Itaru also intervened. "Personally, the Crown Prince should marry someone skilled in magic and alchemy, which can obliterate all kinds of enemies-"

While he was endorsing his candidate, Izumi eyed the sketch he pushed in the middle of the table, wondering why the face looked familiar. "Lord Itaru, who is this child?"

"That's my niece."

A tense silence followed.

"So, that's your angle." Chikage suddenly smiled dangerously.

Lord Citron did not hesitate to jump in either, criticizing the underhandedness of Itaru's plans. It took awhile for them to settle down again, and Sir Chikage shot her an inquiring look.

"What is milady's opinion about all of this?"

_I think you all should just stop talking…_

She stood up. "H-how about we ask what his highness thinks?"

Izumi hurried to the other room, found Sakuya sitting obediently by the couch she left, smiling brightly when he saw her. She hoisted him up in her arms, and when she entered the room again, all the gentlemen stood in greeting. 

"Your Highness-," Izumi started as Sakuya blinked curiously up at her, sensing the nervousness in her voice. "Lord Itaru, Lord Citron, and Sir Chikage would like to ask you a question."

The gentlemen wasted no time in shoving their candidates forward, while Izumi shifted Sakuya in her arms to bring him in for a closer look.

"Your Highness," Lord Itaru shot the Crown Prince a winning smile. "Which do you think is the prettiest?"

It was a simple question enough, but it also gave them a chance to analyze the one Crown Prince would choose based on appearances alone. The three-year-old in her arms blinked, eyeing the sketches unsurely, while the rest of the gentlemen stared at him expectantly. Sensing his hesitation, Izumi murmured a soft reassurance, that there was neither right nor wrong answer in whatever he chose.

But, as the Crown Prince was apt to do, he answered most unexpectedly, and picked her. 

Another silence descended the room. As if sensing the danger of his choice, Sakuya shifted uncomfortably in her arms again, and looked up at Izumi, his features dipping into a worried expression, as if looking for her reassurance. 

A kind of over protectiveness overcame Izumi, and she suddenly felt the urge to protect him from the gentlemen's absurd engagement schemes. 

"Nevermind." Izumi's sharp voice cut through the silence, and held him closer. Shooting them all a hard-stare, she held the Crown Prince tighter. "He will marry none of them."

The look they answered her with simply translated into disbelief, perhaps, the gentlemen finally coming to an unusual conclusion that the biggest hurdle here happened to be the royal caretaker herself.

**Author's Note:**

> should i ever continue this, i'm going to sell my citoita and chikaizu agenda as we are very much in need that. thank you for reading!


End file.
